WORKING DOG · Reference library
The jobs dogs do, the skills they use and the people they work alongside.
Sheep herding uses a trained dog to help a handler gather, move and manage sheep. The task, stock and landscape determine the skills required.
Yard work is livestock handling in confined facilities, where flow, positioning and controlled movement matter more than covering distance.
Cattle dogs help handlers move and manage cattle. Suitability depends on cattle type, facilities, terrain and the individual dog’s judgement and training.
Mustering brings livestock together for movement, inspection or handling. Working dogs may contribute to gathering and directing stock alongside people and other farm systems.
Biosecurity detector dogs work with trained handlers to locate target material that may pose a biosecurity risk. Australia operates a government detector dog program.
Sled dogs work in teams to pull a sled or other permitted equipment. Their history includes Antarctic transport, while present-day activities operate under local sporting and welfare arrangements.
Guide dogs support the mobility of people who are blind or have low vision through specialised training and a carefully matched partnership.
Assistance dogs are trained to perform disability-related tasks for an individual. The task, training and applicable recognition framework matter more than appearance or equipment.
Hearing dogs assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing through trained responses to relevant sounds as part of an individually supported partnership.
Conservation detection dogs help trained teams locate biological targets or signs relevant to research and conservation. A search supports a wider survey and evidence process.
Police dog units provide specialised services under agency training, supervision and authority. A public role description should identify the agency and capability without claiming that all dogs perform every task.
Military working dogs contribute to defined Defence capabilities with qualified handlers. Roles, training and service records should be described using confirmed Defence sources.
Livestock guardian dogs live or work with stock to help reduce predation risk. Their role differs from a herding dog’s task of moving stock under a handler’s direction.
Search and rescue dogs assist authorised teams in locating people or relevant scent. Operational deployment depends on organisational assessment and incident coordination, not a dog’s breed or sporting title.
Retrieving work combines locating, collecting and returning an object or permitted quarry under the handler’s direction. Sporting retrieving has its own assessment rules.
Pointing describes a gundog locating game and indicating its presence through a held position. Formal field-trial assessment depends on the relevant rule system.
Flushing describes a gundog causing located game to move from cover. Controlled handling and the specific field framework distinguish working assessment from uncontrolled pursuit.
Draft work uses a trained dog to move a suitable vehicle or load under handler control. Historical draft roles and contemporary draft tests need their own context.
How specialist canine teams support fire investigators, why a dog indication needs context and where to find authoritative evidence.
An introduction to professional explosives detection teams and the distinction between canine research, sporting scent work and operational qualification.
